Telephone attachment.



M. T. ALLAN.

TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR-12. I918.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

5 0 E J a 4/ l\ d I: i/ i, w- 0 dw J E Z w 5 U T 40 W 1 m m w, J\O/ z a W w u z 6 0 Z. a 00 5 P J z y 1Q L w TAQ MOSES TAIT ALLAN; OF NEVILLE, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA.

TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

Application filed April 12, 1918. Serial No. 228,261.

ticularly to an attachment adapted for use inconnection with telephones forming part of a subscribers or intercommunicating system, where it is possible for a third party to overhear conversations transpiring between two other parties, and the principal object of my invention is to provide an audible alarm whereby such attempts at eavesdropping may be detected in such a manner that the particular interloping telephone may be identified with certainty. Another object of my invention is to provide an attachment of the character set forth which can be installed for use in connection with various makes of telephones by making the necessary adjustments or alterations in construction as circumstances may call for.

In the following specification, I shall describe the preferred embodiment of the invention, and shall set forth the scope of protection desired in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of portion of a telephone, showing in elevation certain parts thereof, as well as my attachment combined therewith, certain parts of my attachment being shown in section to illustrate construction; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the left-hand side of the cluteh-provided springmotor for my attachment showing these parts suitably supported; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section on the line 2 2 Fig. 2; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of certain particular parts of my attachment, showing, particularly, means for operating the audible alarm, and a suitable type of governor for regulating speed thereof, and Fig. 3* is a detail hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings, like characters of reference refer to the same parts.

Various telephone attachments to eflect the purpose in view of this invention have been developed, but it must be noted at the outset that my attachment is not wired to the telephone circuit. The subscriber, by the very act of calling up the person to whom he wishes to talk, stores up energy in the spring-motor forming part of my attachment, and therefore, my attachment necessarily always has positive power to bring the same into operation.

A. is any suitable telephone box in which is mounted any suitable type of generator in the form of a magneto having field magnets B. C is the usual crank carried by the usual shaft D, and carried by this shaft is a toothed-wheel E, which is constantly in mesh with the pinion F carried by the armature shaft G. These parts are, of course, well known. H is a post carried by the box A, and mounted on this post, after any suitable manner, is a bell I. In mesh with the toothed-wheel E is a toothed-wheel J, and this toothed-wheel is provided with a hub 3, secured thereto or formed part thereof. One end of this hub is preferably closed, as shown at 4, and since this hub freely rotates around the post H, I limit longitudinal movement thereof on said post by means of a stop 5. 6 is a toothed-wheel provided with a hub 7 loosely mounted on said post. This hub preferably extends into the hub 3, so that said hub 3 may have bearing thereon. Secured to or formed a part of the toothedwheel J, is an annular flange 8 projecting laterally thereof, and the toothed-wheel 6 operates against the outer edge of this flange. The said toothed-wheels, together with the said flange, form a housing in which is mounted a coiled spring 9, and a segmental spring 10, which performs the function of a friction clutch. The spring 9 is the motor for the attachment, and it will be noticed that the inner end 11 thereof is attached to the hub 7 of the toothed-wheel 6. One end of the spring 10 is attached at 12 to the free end of the spring 9, and it will be observed that normally the spring 10 rests with the major portion of its length in contact with the inner side of the flange 8. Mounted to turn with the hub 7 is a disk 13 positioned adjacent the toothedwheel 6: these parts are removably secured together by any suitable means such as the following: 14 are bosses carried by the toothed-wheel 6 threaded to receive SCIGlWS 15, mounted in the disk 13. 16 is a retaining screw screwing into the inner end of the post H so as to maintain the disk and wheels, before described, in relative position.

It will be observed that the disk 13 is provided with a plurality of notches 17. As before mentioned, this disk may be removed and replaced by a disk of the same size only having a different number of notches. The

notches in the disk 13 correspond to the.

number of ringsidentifying the telephone in which the attachment is mounted, and an additional notch to effect a signal when the receiver is replaced. 13 is a bracket carried by the boX A, and supported by-this bracket is any suitable hammer 19, the head 20 of which strikes the bell I at various times. The disk 13 is the immediate source of movement for the hammer 19, and to reduce friction between this hammer and the edge of the disk, I loosely mount on said hammer, an idler 21 which tracks. against the edge of said disk 13. 22 are flanges carried by the hammer 19- on each side of the idler 21 to hold it in position. 23 is. a bar to which is pivoted a detent 24:, by the pin 25. The said detent is pivoted, by the pin 26, to the post 27 suitably carried by the bracket 18. The bar 23 has longitudinal movement at certain times inv the brackets 28 carried by the bracket 13. The end 29 of the bar 23' is bifurcated so as to straddle the contact spring 30, the end 31 of which is normally held under compression by the heel 32 of the receiver hook 33 pivoted at 34 to the box A. 35 is the receiver. 36 is a pin carried by the extremities of the bifurcated end 29 of the bar 23 so as to. insure the withdrawal of the bar 23 when the contact spring 30 moves to complete the circuit (not shown) through the strips a.

37 is a lug carried by the disk 13, and as will be clearly seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 3 the end 38 of the bar 23 is normally in the pathof movement of this lug.

I shall now describe the operation of my attachment. It will", of course, be understood that each time the generator is. used, through the co-action between the toothedwheels E and J, the spring 9 is wound up, thus storing energy to operate the parts of the attachment before described. When the receiver 35 is removed from the hook 33, the contact spring; 30'will be permitted to move so that by means-of the pin 36, or its equivalent, the bar 23 will be withdrawn so as to move the end- 38 thereof out of the path of movement of the lug 37. Since the inner end of the spring 9- is attached to the hub 7 of the toothed-wheel 6, it follows that this toothed-wheel and the disk 13 will be moved in the direction indicated by arrow in Fig. 3, and bythe idler 21 and the notches 17, the desired number of signals will be given.

Upon withdrawal of the end I38 from the path of movement of the lug 37, the end I), of the detent 24 is moved into the path of movement of the said lug, thus preventing the disk 13 from making a complete revolution at this time. When thereceiver 35 is replaced on the hook 33, through the medium of the spring 30, the bar 23 is moved to bring the end 38 thereof into the path of movement of the lug 37, and to remove the end 6, of the detent 24, out of the path of movement of said lug so that'the disk 13 may complete its revolution, at which time,

the head 20 strikes the bell I thus signaling that the interloper has gone off the line.

It must be understood that the springs 9 and 102 are only housed within the flange 8 and are not coupled to this flange nor to the. toothed wheel In case the co-action between the toothed-wheels E and J should be such as to endanger the winding of the spring 9' too tightly, I have provided the segmental spring 10. Ordinarily the friction between this spring and the flange 8 willi convey energy from the toothed-wheel J to the spring 9-, and so wind this spring. In case there be a danger of the spring 9- being wound. too, tightly, the contraction of the spring 9 will reduce the friction between. the spring 101 and the flange 8 suflicientlyto permit the toothed-Wheel J to freely; operate without danger of damaging the spring 9.

Any suitable. type of governor may be used to regulate the speedof. the disk 13 so that, the signals givenby the hell I will be distinct. A suitable type of governor comprises a disk. 0, loosely mounted on a shaft d, one end of which is carried by the box A, and the other end of which is carried by a bracket 6, depending from the bracket 18 or otherwise supported. f is the shoe operating inside. of the. flange g of the disk 0, and. this shoe is carried by the arm It, passing at rightangles through the shaft (Z. A coiled-spring '71,. mounted on said arm between the shaft (Z and} the pin j, normally keeps. the shoe f outer? contact with the flange 9. Z"; is a pinion keyed to the shaft d, and in mesh with the toothed-wheel 6. Through the cosaction between this pinion and wheeli 6, the shaft d; is rotated, thus permitting centrifugal action tocause the necessarybraking action between the shoe 7 and the, flange 9 to regulate the speed of rotation of the disk, 13.

By means of a pin 0, attached to the disk 0, and carried by the box A, the said disk is held stationary.

Claims:

1. In a telephone, the combination with a generator; the gearing therefor the receiver hook; spring displaced by said receiver hook, and the receiver supported by said hook, of an attachment comprising a gear-wheel inmesh with the gearing of said generator; supporting means on which said gearwhee]. freely revolves; a spring-motor; a friction clutch connected to said spring-motor and whereby said motor is associated with said gear-Wheel 1 so as to be Wound up thereby; a notched disk; means mounted on said supporting means to which the inner end of said spring motor is connected and whereby said notched disk receives movement at certain times from said spring-motor; a bell; a hammer tracking on the notched. edge of said disk in such a manner as to strike said bell, and means associated with saidspring whereby when the receiver is removed from said receiver hook, said notched disk will be unlocked to permit said spring motor to turn the same the major portion of a revolution, and whereby, when the receiver is replaced on said receiver hook the said notched disk will complete its revolution and then be brought to rest.

2. In a telephone, the combination with a generator; the gearing therefor; the receiver hook; a spring displaced by said receiver hook, and the receiver supported by said hook, of an attachment comprising a gear-,wheel in mesh with the gearing of said generator; supporting means on which said gear wheel freely revolves; a spring motor; a friction clutch connected to said spring motor and whereby said motor is associated with said gear-wheel so as to be wound up thereby; a notched disk; means mounted on said supporting means to. which the inner end of said spring motor is connected and whereby said notched disk receives movement at certain times from said spring-motor; a bell; a hammer tracking on the notched edge of said disk in such a manner as to strike said bell; means associated with said spring whereby when the receiver is removed from said receiver hook, said notched disk will be unlocked to permit said spring motor to turn the same the major portion of a revolution, and whereby when the receiver is replaced on said receiver hook the said notched disk will complete its revolution and then be brought to rest, and a governor regulating the speed of said notcheddisk, for the purpose specified.

8. In a telephone, the combination with a generator; the gearing therefor; the receiver hook; a spring displaced by said receiver hook and the receiver supported by said hook, of an attachment comprising a gearwheel in mesh with the gearing of said generator; supporting means on which said gear-wheel revolves; an annular flange carried by said gear-wheel and projecting laterally thereof; a coiled-spring surrounding said supporting means and resting against the side of said gear-wheel within said flange; a friction-clutch coupled at one end to the outer end of said coiled spring and normally in contact with the inner side of said flange so that as said gear-wheel is re volved the said coiled spring will be wound up; a notched disk mounted to revolve on said supporting means; means mounted on said supporting means to which the inner end of said coiled-spring is connected and whereby said notched disk receives movement at certain times from said coiled spring; a bell; a hammer tracking on the notched edge of said disk in such a manner as to strike said bell; means associated with said spring whereby wheinthe receiver is removed from said receiver hook, said notched disk will be unlocked to permit said coiledspring to turn the same the major portion of a revolution, and whereby, when the receiver is replaced on said receiver hook the said notched disk will complete its revolution and then be brought to rest.

4. In a telephone, the combination with a generator; the gearing therefor; the receiver hook; a spring displaced by said receiver hook and the receiver supported by said hook, of an attachment comprising a gearwheel in mesh with the gearing of said generator; supporting means on which said gear-wheel revolves; an annular flange carried by said gear-wheel and projecting laterally thereof; a coiled spring surrounding said supporting means and rest-ing against the side of said gear-wheel within said flange; a friction-clutch coupled at one end to the outer end of said coiled spring and normally in contact with the inner side of said flange so that as said gear-wheel is revolved the said coiled spring will be wound up; a second gear-wheel provided with a hub loosely mounted on said supporting means, the inner end of said coiledspring being attached to said hub; a notched disk also loosely mounted on said supporting means; means whereby said notched disk is coupled to said second gear-wheel; a bell; a hammer tracking on the notched edge of said disk so as to co-act therewith tostrike said bell, and means associated with said whereby when the receiver is removed from said receiver-hook, said notched disk will be unlocked to permit said coiled spring to turn the same the major portion of a revolution, and whereby when the receiver is replaced on said receiver hook, the said notched disk will complete its revolution and then be brought to rest.

5. In a telephone, the combination with a generator; the gearing therefor, and means for operating said gearing, of a springmotor for an attachment comprising a gearwheel in mesh with the gear of said generator; supporting means in which said gear-wheel freely revolves; an annular flange carried by said gear-wheel and projecting laterally thereof; a rotary member loosely mounted on said supporting means adjacent said gear-wheel; means whereby said rotary member is locked against rotation at certain times; a coiled-spring surrounding said supporting means and housed within said flange and having its inner end secured to said rotary member, and a frictronclutch coupled to the free end of said coiled-spring and resting against the inner side of said annular flange, and whereby energy is transmitted from said gear-wheelto said spring up to apredetermined limit, as set forth.

6. In a telephone, the combination witha generator; the gearing therefor; the receiver hook; a spring displaced by said receiver Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by-addnessing;the Commissioner of Patents,

mar-pm with said-gear wheel so as. tOjbGW'OUDd; up

laterally thereof; means mounted on said supporting means to which the inner end ofsaid spring-motor is connected, andwhereby saiid notched disk receives: movement at certaintimes. from said springrmotor; a bell; a hammer tracking on the notched edge of said disk in such a manner as to! strike said bell; bar; means supporting the same; a detent carried by one-end of said bar to coact, with said lug to prevent the complete revolution of saiddisk, and'means whereby said bar isconnected to, said spring displaced by said receiver hook whereby this bar is actuatedhas-said receiveris removed and re placed, for the purposespecified,

MOSES TAIT ALLAN.

Washington,,D. 0., 

